Composite centrifugal speed-dependent fuel controller for fuel injection pumps and electric signal transducer

ABSTRACT

A centrifugal controller to control the amount of fuel being applied to fuel injection pumps of internal combustion engines has, additionally, an electric signal transducer incorporated therein to provide an output signal representative of controller shaft speed; the transducer is, essentially, a thin toothed or gear-cut wheel connected to the centrifugal weight carrier or to a coupling element therein, located essentially parallel to the inner wall of the controller, and cooperating with an electrical induction element, such as a coil wound on a yoke or on a core, or the like.

United States Patent Miiller et al.

[ Oct. 15, 1974' COMPOSITE CENTRIFUGAL SPEED-DEPENDENT FUEL CONTROLLER FOR FUEL INJECTION PUMPS AND ELECTRIC SIGNAL TRANSDUCER lnventors: Rolf Miiller, St'uttgart-Freiberg;

Heinrich Staudt, Markgroningen-Talhausen, both of Germany Assignee: Robert Bosch GMBH, Gerlingen,

Germany Filed: Mar. 12, 1973 Appl. No.: 340,396

Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 21, 1972 Germany 7210770 U.S. Cl. 123/139 E, 123/32 AE, 123/140 R int. Cl. F02m 39/00, F02d l/04 Field of Search 123/139 E, 140 R, 32 EA,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,630,177 l2/l97l Engel 123/32 EA 3,630,643 12/1971 Eheim 123/139 E Primary ExaminerCharles J. Myhre Assistant Examiner-Ronald B. Cox Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Flynn & Frishauf [5 7 ABSTRACT A centrifugal controller to control the amount of fuel being applied to fuel injection pumps of internal combustion engines has, additionally, an electric signal transducer incorporated therein to provide an output signal representative of controller shaft speed; the transducer is, essentially, a thin toothed or gear-cut wheel connected to the centrifugal weight carrier or to a coupling element therein, located essentially parallel to the inner wall of the controller, and cooperating with an electrical induction element, such as a coil wound on a yoke or on a core, or the like.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATEMEQ UK? 1 5 m4 SHEU 10F 2 PATENTEU GET 1 51374 sum 20$ 2 COMPOSITE CENTRIFUGAL SPEED-DEPENDENT FUEL CONTROLLER FOR FUEL INJECTION PUMPS AND ELECTRIC SIGNAL TRANSDUCER Cross reference to related US. Pat. No. 2,588,119.

The present invention relates to a composite centrifugal controller for fuel injection pumps, to control the amount of fuel to be injected by the injection pumps for combustion in internal combustion engines, and which further has an electrical signal transducer incorporated therein to provide output signals representative of controller speed.

Fuel injection pumps for internal combustion engines frequently are used in conjunction with a controller which responds to speed, so that the fuel being supplied by the injection pump is matched to the operating speed. The controller includes, usually, a rotating shaft which is connected to the engine, and an element to which centrifugally swingable weights are linked, displacement of the weights, against a spring force, providing a mechanical output signal which, in turn, controls the amount of fuel being injected through the pump. Such apparatus is used, for example, in conjunction with Diesel engines. The speed controller, or governor, is driven from a cam shaft of the injection pump and to control the amount of fuel applied to the internal combustion engine in accordance with the speed of the cam shaft of the pump. In many installations, it is desirable to obtain an electrical output signal which indicates the speed of the cam shaft of the pump, or the speed of the internal combustion engine driving the cam shaft. Such speed signals may be desirable to control gear change apparatus, brake anti-lock systems, or the like. Known or customarily used centrifugal controllers (see, for example German Pat. Disclosure Document DT-OS No. 2,131,283, corresponding to British Pat. No. 1,317,872) do not provide electrical output signals accurately representative of actual engine speed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a composite centrifugal controller and electrical signal transducer which provides an output signal accurately representative of the speed of the centrifugal weight carrier, which permits use of existing, and known apparatus as much as possible without increase of the size or the price of the controller.

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE PRESENT INVENTION Briefly, a mechanical-electrical transducer, in form of a tachometer generator is connected to rotate with an elastically coupled centrifugal weight carrier of the controller or governor.

In a preferred form of the invention, the transducer comprises a comparatively thin, toothed disk which cooperates with an electromagnetic, inductive system to provide output signals, the disk and the inductive system being so arranged that they fit within the housing of a controller.

The invention will be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through a controller with the electric transducer incorporated therein;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a transducer section along line "-11 of FIG. 1.

A fuel injection pump, for example for a Diesel engine and of known construction is schematically shown at 10 (FIG. 1), to which governor 15 is suitably secured, e.g. by screws. The heart of the governor 15 is a weight carrier 16, to which angle levers l7, 18 are linked. Each one of the angle levers has a centrifugal weight 19, 20, respectively, connected thereto. The centrifugal weights 19, 20, upon rotation of a shaft 23 to which carrier 16 is connected, tend to move outwardly against the force of control springs 21, 22. For a complete description, reference may be had to US. Pat. No. 2,588,119, assigned to the assignee of the present application.

The carrier 16 is driven from the shaft 23 and a coupling 24, to which an elastic coupling member 25 is connected. Shaft 23 is an extension of the camshaft of pump 10. Oscillations and vibrations arising in the fuel injection pump 10 are isolated from the centrifugal carrier 16 by being damped by the elastic coupling member 25.

Operation: Upon rotation of shaft 23, the weights 19, 20 shift, counter the force of springs 21, 22 outwardly, thus moving the junction or pivot point 26a, formed on a sleeve 26, towards the left. A lever arm 28a of a lever 28, connected by a pin 27 to the sleeve 26 and connected to the weight carrier 16, is likewise moved to the left. The pin 27 is held in position by a dependent guide bar 29, which is apertured, and guided by a guide bolt 30. Movement of lever 28, which pivots about point 28b, is transmitted to control rod 31 of the fuel injection pump 10 over a link 31a. Thus, upon leftward movement of the pin 26, control lever 28 and hence control rod 31 are moved to control the amount of fuel being supplied by the pump.

The transducer 33 of the composite element includes a disk 32 connected to elastic coupling member 25. The disk has teeth at its circumference see FIG. 2 which cooperate with a stationary pick-up 34, located inside the housing adjacent disk 32. As can be seen, disk and pick-up can be located close to the inner wall, without requiring additional space within the housing. The pick-up 34 is connected by leads 36' to output terminal 38. The flexible coupling 25 is covered by a protective shroud 37 (FIG. 1) and the disk 32 is secured directly to the shroud 37. The shroud 37 can be made as a unitary element with the disk, or with the disk and the carrier body 16, directly. Disk 32 rotates concentrically with shaft 23 and is driven in conjunction with carrier 16.

The disk 32 cooperates with a stationary, inductive element 34, as best seen in FIG. 2. A yoke 35,'with a sensing coil 36 wound thereon, and secured by suitable screws (not shown) passing through openings 35 of the yoke hold the stationary part 34 of the transducer 33 to the inner wall of the housing.

The elastic member 25, as best seen in FIG. 2, is made of four elastic damping elements or plugs 40, which are clamped between coupling projections or dividers 41, 42. Two dividers or projections 41 are connected to the shroud 37 and two dividers or projections 42 are connected to the coupling 24. Coupling 24 and shaft 23 are connected together for joint rotation.

The disk 32 can also be connected directly to the centrifugal weight carrier 16, or be unitary with the shroud 37. A suitable connection may be sintering, brazing or the like.

Various other types of inductive-mechanical tachometer or rotation-electrical signal transducers may be used.

Connecting a thin disk to the centrifugal weight carrier dampens any vibrations or non-uniform rotational moments derived from shaft 23, and additionally provides an output signal which is the exact electrical representation of the mechanical control signal obtained from the rotating weights which shift the linkage, controlling the amount of fuel to be delivered by the fuel pump. The signals derived from the weight carrier thus are not only damped by the flexible coupling but additionally provide smooth, uniform output due to the inertia of the mass of the rotating, movable weights.

Various changes and modifications may be made within the inventive concept.

We claim:

1. Composite centrifugal control for fuel injection pumps for internal combustion engines comprising drive shaft means (23);

a resilient coupling element (25) to dampen vibrations transmitted by the shaft means;

a centrifugal weight carrier (16) in driven connection with the resilient element (25); movable weights (19, swingably connected (l7,

18, 26) to the weight carrier (16);

means (21, 22) yieldingly restraining swinging movement of the weights when the shaft rotates;

link means (17, 18; 26, 28, 31) connected to said weights to provide output motion representative of shaft speed, as a result of centrifugal extension of the weights upon rotation of the shaft, movement of said link means controlling the quantity of fuel being injected by the injection pump;

and a shaft rotation-electrical signal transducer (33) including a rotating element (32) in driven connection with the resilient coupling element (25), mechanically coupled to the centrifugal weight carrier (16) to provide an electrical output signal representative of speed of the weight carrier (16) and corresponding to speed of the shaft (23) as damped by said coupling element (25) and the rotational inertia of the weight carrier (16).

2. Composite controller according to claim 1, wherein the transducer comprises a thin toothed gear wheel connected to the centrifugal weight carrier.

3. Composite controller according to claim 1, wherein the rotating element of the transducer comprises a rotatable disk-like element (32) located on the carrier.

4. Composite controller according to claim 3, wherein the disk-like element and the carrier are a unitary body.

5. Composite controller according to claim 1, further comprising a housing having a front wall, the shaft means (23) penetrating through the front wall of the housing, and wherein the transducer (33) comprises a thin disk-like element (32) located parallel to and closely behind the housing;

and electrical inductive means are provided, electromagnetically coupled to the gear wheel.

6. Composite controller according to claim 1 comprising a covering shroud (37) surrounding, at least in part, the resilient element (25) and connected to said weight carrier (16);

wherein the transducer (33) is connected to said shroud (37).

7. Composite controller according to claim 6 wherein the shroud and the transducer form a unitary element. 

1. Composite centrifugal control for fuel injection pumps for internal combustion engines comprising drive shaft means (23); a resilient coupling element (25) to dampen vibrations transmitted by the shaft means; a centrifugal weight carrier (16) in driven connection with the resilient element (25); movable weights (19, 20) swingably connected (17, 18, 26) to the weight carrier (16); means (21, 22) yieldingly restraining swinging movement of the weights when the shaft rotates; link means (17, 18; 26, 28, 31) connected to said weights to provide output motion representative of shaft speed, as a result of centrifugal extension of the weights upon rotation of the shaft, movement of said link means controlling the quantity of fuel being injected by the injection pump; and a shaft rotation-electrical signal transducer (33) including a rotating element (32) in driven connection with the resilient coupling element (25), mechanically coupled to the centrifugal weight carrier (16) to provide an electrical output signal representative of speed of the weight carrier (16) and corresponding to speed of the shaft (23) as damped by said coupling element (25) and the rotational inertia of the weight carrier (16).
 2. Composite controller according to claim 1, wherein the transducer comprises a thin toothed gear wheel connected to the centrifugal weight carrier.
 3. Composite controller according to claim 1, wherein the rotating element of the transducer comprises a rotatable disk-like element (32) located on the carrier.
 4. Composite controller according to claim 3, wherein the disk-like element and the carrier are a unitary body.
 5. Composite controller according to claim 1, further comprising a housing having a front wall, the shaft means (23) penetrating through the front wall of the housing, and wherein the transducer (33) comprises a thin disk-like element (32) located parallel to and closely behind the housing; and electrical inductive means are provided, electro-magnetically coupled to the gear wheel.
 6. Composite controller according to claim 1 comprising a covering shroud (37) surrounding, at least in part, the resilient element (25) and connected to said weight carrier (16); wherein the transducer (33) is connected to said shroud (37).
 7. Composite controller according to claim 6 wherein the shroud and the transducer form a unitary element. 